Poured into a Haw River Farmhouse Ales teku glass. Back label says Best Before 07.08.2015.

A- Pours a mostly opaque black color with a 1/4 inch tan head that retains a bit before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a small bubbly side patch of surface foam. Semi-resilient lacing leaves a thin ring behind.

very approachable and drinkable Schwarzbier. Malts and molasses, some coffee, but finishes clean with little lingering flavors. With low abv, can see myself drinking quite a few of these. (187 characters)

500ml can. L: very dark cola, slightly transparent, fizzy tan head quickly gone. S: toasty bready malts mixed with dark berries. Very nice. T: similar to the smell. F: mouthfeel is the attraction here. It's has the aroma of a stronger beer, then hits with some carbonation and a lighter body. So easy to drink but remaining full of flavour. O: many schwarzbiers have a promising nose yet come off watery. This one delivers. (428 characters)

It has a rich black body with hints of brown around the edges, and a thin, bubbly off white head that dissipates quickly. There are some roasted coffee aromas but they're rather faint. The flavour is a little underwhelming - the coffee and chocolate flavours that one might expect from a darker beer are there, but only faintly in the background.

It's an easy enough beer to drink, with enough flavour to keep you interested throughout the whole pint. If you want a crisp, refreshing yet dark beer to have a few of in one sitting it will do the job, but don't expect strong flavours that you would hope from a stout, porter or even other dark lagers. (697 characters)

Had this at the Cloverleaf Tavern in Caldwell last night for the first time, not having a Schwarzbier in quite some time. It poured dark but finished clean as a reminder that this was indeed a Lager and served as one of the best examples that one could find. Session beers don't get much more full than this and although I only had one, it was hard not to order another before heading out to watch the end of tonight's World Series game.

Good pour to this, with a dark hue, moderately thick tan head, and just a bit of lacing down the side of the tulip glass that I poured this into. The carbonation was good as this seemed like a soda without the sugar but thicker as this had the consistency and taste of a good dark bread. Lots of yeast in the taste to go with some caramel and molasses but what I loved about this beer was that it finished clean. Just a bit of dark malt stuck around in the aftertaste and this was full enough to savor without being chewy or cloying.

With the alcohol being as low as it was, this almost didn't feel like beer either. Not as full as a Brown Ale or a Porter, this showcased the Lager aspects of it while being similar to a Vienna Lager when it came to the hue, body, and range of flavors. This would make for a decent dessert beer as the flavor profile led itself to that. Enjoy this class while lamenting that more examples of this aren't readily available - this style certainly has a lot of untapped potential. (1,453 characters)

appealing roasty nose that the taste follows with roasted malt flavors balanced by a smooth hop presence. there is a touch of sweetness to start and drys nicely in the finish making this one dangerously quaffable.

would be a great beer for my keggerator because its full of flavor but very approachable fo most all beer drinkers (436 characters)

Appearance: pours a dark brown with a light brown highlight around the edges of the glass. A great finger-and-a-half tan head hangs around for a decent time before dropping to a half-finger. Decent lacing.

Taste: the flavours in the aroma are all present on the palate, are well combined and come through quite strongly. It is also quite a smooth flavour - this is a good beer!

Aftertaste: the flavours linger through - particularly the caramels and heavy fruits.

Mouth feel: fairly light in body with a moderate carbonation - clean and crisp. Somewhat smooth too, which is nice for a schwarzbier.

Overall: this is a really tasty and easy-drinking German Schwarzbier (quickly becoming one of my favourite styles). If we can get great dark lagers like Monteith's Doppelbock and this imported for around AU$50 a case, why can't we get any Aussie equivalents for less than generally AU$80? Ruddy Aussie government. Rant aside, this one is great value and very sessional. (1,188 characters)

The malty sweetness comes through readily in the aroma, along with a touch of molasses, brown sugar, prune. The body is a very dark brown with faint garnet highlights; the head is light tan; lots of lacing sticks around. The flavor initially gives off roasted malt with malty sweetness in support; there is also some light coffee and prune-like fruitiness. The body is rather light with just a little carbonation, but it's smooth and mildly crisp.

The body is a bit light and minimally carbonated, but the aroma and flavor are very solid and thoroughly enjoyable. (565 characters)

Black color with red highlights with a thick beige head with good retention and leaving some laces.Grainy malty aroma with notes of chocolate, mild licorice and lots of dark fruits.Flavor with lots of chocolate, some spices, cocoa powder, a bit of caramels, a hint of homemade coffee, grains and nuts. Quite dry aftertaste with a bitter roastedness.Light body with medium carbonation.Great balance between flavor and drinkability. Definitely a reference for the style. Quite consistent, no disappointments from different batches. Great malt complexity, refreshing and clean taste. If you like the style that is a solid choice.Ap.3,75 Ar.3,75 Sab.4 Sens.4 Cj.4 (664 characters)

Black in color with little penetration to light. A thin fingernail of khaki colored head covers the majority of the top of the beer. Aroma of dark,but sweet smelling malt is present. The taste is very malt forward but intensely sweet. Licorice and dark wheat flavors are dominant. The mouth is slightly sticky and chewy. This is a dark malt lagered bomb.Appearance: 3.75Aroma:3.5Taste:3.75Mouthfeel:3.5Overall:3.75 (425 characters)

Poured into a standard pint glass: color is black with dark brown edges; head is light tan, starting as a 1/2 inch thick top then dissipating to a ring, no lacing.

Smell is smooth roasted and some chocolate malts, hint of bread, but no wheat, enticing; hop notes are simple, earthy, grassy.

Taste is very clean, roasted malt with with some bready undertones (pumpernickel?), lighter sweetness, then transitions to a dry bitterness, not cloying but clean, hops are helping the bitter roasted malt to dry the flavor out in a good way.

Mouthfeel starts out pleasant, slightly sweet and crisp, but the carbonation seems to catch up and bite at the tongue too harshly

Overall, a very, very good tasting beer with enticing qualities. mouthfeel seems to detract some, but good presentation and aroma. (797 characters)

Poured from a pint can into a pilsner hourglass. Looks like it was canned on 09/13/2013 and best by 09/13/2014...hmm.

A- Pours what would appear to be black until you hold it up to the light and a small amount of light comes through revealing a deep deep walnut. A small light brown head that sticks around.

S- Light notes of raisin bran, like a doppelbock lite. Some fresh hay in there.

T- Again some very light raisin bran flavor. Not really getting anything in the way of hops. A bit watery.

M- Light, easy drinking.

O- I think this is like the first or one of the first beers of this style ever brewed, so I guess it is a bench mark for the style. Very much like a light German pilsner but with a bit of a doppelbock aspect to it. It refreshing and something you could call sessionable. If I saw it on tap and wanted something light I wouldn't hesitate to order one. I've had a few American examples of the style and they weren't quite as good as this one. (969 characters)

Pours almost completely black but when held to the light does present a dark brown with a flash of crimson hue. That underscores the idea of clarity in this beer. I tried to capture in photographs that when held to the light the beer seems to shine inexplicably. The head fell reasonably fast and left a bit of lace and a thin ring. The nose is malty and breaddy. A sweet caramel and no fruit. Taste is clean and clear, crisp yet creamy. Some lovely malty sweetness that has breadth in the glass. It has caramel but that is not over the top of the original malty sweetness from the roast. It has a thinnish body so it drinks easily and although the carbonation is ample it does not bite. Drinks clearly and decisively. Soft dark bread with a bit of crust but nothing burnt. No char or ash. A becoming sweetness and a smooth body. The hops are quiet and serene. This dries out slowly with a touch of the roast and bread to linger amidst a subtle and gentle bitter. It is as though those hops are merely breath on the beer.

Excellent and drinks without too much sweetness. A good black lager. (1,092 characters)

M: Low carbonation with a light body. Awfully watery feel, but the flavors are still conveyed nicely.

O: I certainly enjoyed the quality malt notes in this one, but more carbonation and a tad more hop might fill it out even more. I suspect this one lost a bit of fizz on its journey across the pond. Definitely smooth, though.

I picked up a can of Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei GmbH & Co's Kostritzer Schwarzbier last week for $2.09 at Boyne Country Provisions. I've never had anything from this brewery before and since I was in a Schwarzbier mood I thought I would take a chance on it, so lets see how it goes. No visible canning date. Poured from a tall 16oz can into a imperial pint glass.

A- The can looks nice, it had a clean and classy look to it, I thought it was just a little eye catching. It poured a deep dark brown color that was a little a little close to being black and it took some some ruby highlights when held to the light with two fingers worth of light tan head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left some spotty and patchy lacing behind. This was a pretty nice looking beer, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a medium amount of sweetness followed by the malts being the first to show up and they impart some grainy, light roasted malt, and light chocolate like aromas with a slight nutty aroma showing up in the background. Up next comes a light lager yeast like aroma and there were no hop aromas. This beer had a pretty nice aroma that was true to style.

T- The taste seems to be very similar to the aroma and it starts off with a lower amount of medium sweetness followed by the malts still being the first to show up and they impart the same aspects that they did in the aroma with no single aspect seeming to stick out the most. Up next comes that same light nutty aspect that I got in the aroma and it's followed by a light lager yeast like flavor. On the finish there's still no hop presence with no bitterness and a grainy, roasted malt and chocolate like aftertaste. This was a pretty nice tasting beer that was true to style just like the aroma was.

M- Smooth, clean, not too crisp, a little silky, dry finish, on the lighter side of being medium bodied with a lower amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel was nice, but I wish it had a little more carbonation.

Overall I thought this was a pretty nice beer and I thought it was a pretty nice example of a Schwarzbier, it had everything that I would expect from a classic German example of the style. This beer had nice drinkability, it was smooth, clean, not too crisp, a little silky, dry finish, not too filling and the taste did a nice job at holding my attention, I could drink a couple of these, but after that the lack of carbonation might start to wear on me and I think this would make for a nice late summer and fall time beer. What I like the most about this beer was how true to style it was, it had just about everything that I look for in the style. What I like the least about this beer was the mouthfeel, it was bad, but it needed a little more carbonation. I might buy this beer again when in the mood for a Schwarzbier and I would recommend it to just about anyone who's a fan of the style. All in all I liked this beer and I was pretty happy with it, it's nice to have a nice canned Schwarzbier that's readily available. This made for a nice first impression of this brewery and I would be interested in trying more of their beers. It's one of the better German made Schwarzbier's I've had. Nice job guys, keep up the good work. (3,252 characters)